A NAKED couple were terrified when a group of men became involved in an affray when they parked in a lovers' lane.

The boyfriend, who had been in the car, was kicked in the face and needed eight stitches in an injury caused when his door window was shattered, Cardiff crown court heard. One of those involved, Ross Marshall, 19, was sent to a young offenders' institution for six months.

Judge Stephen Clarke said: "They were a vulnerable couple and it must have been an ordeal for them."

Marshall, of Thompson Avenue, Lliswerry, Newport, admitted affray. The court heard he was currently serving a two-year sentence for criminal damage, kidnapping and robbery.

Prosecuting, Owen Prys-Lewis said that on December 12 the couple drove to a lane near the banks of the River Usk near the centre of Newport.

At about 12.20 am they were completely naked when a group, including the defendant, arrived.

Some banged on the steamed-up windows of the car, one of which was smashed. One person jumped on the bonnet and started kicking the windscreen.

Mr Prys-Lewis said the driver tried to reverse from the scene but smashed into a lamppost. "Marshall leant in and karate kicked him to the side of the face," he said. The following afternoon the driver identified Marshall in Corporation Road, Newport. He told the police: "I've got a good alibi."